Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to SDA Late Nite Radio. Old-time listeners will recall that since my ownership, as a young man, of KC 166 (which was Canada's Tornado-class Olympic catamaran the year before I purchased it), I have been keeping abreast of developments in the fields of multihull and hydrofoil sailing, as a result of which we have had previous mentions here at LNR of, for example: the hydrofoil trimaran l'Hydroptère (and here ~ she's currently the world's fastest sailboat, at just under 90 km/h), of the sixty-foot ORMA-class ocean-going Brossard and Géant (and here) trimarans, and, of course, of HMCS Bras d'Or.
So it should not surprise that I have been keeping track of developments in the perhaps bizarre saga of The 33rd edition of the venerable America's Cup yacht races, which, if all goes as planned, and if no more legal challenges are launched over the next two days, will begin, in Valencia, Spain, on Monday morning at 02:00 Mountain time. Furthermore, if all goes as planned, it is my understanding that live streaming video will be available at the americascup.com website. I've scheduled a little party for that time here at my place.
While I find some of the legal wrangling kind of silly (I s'pose a deed is a legal matter, though) it remains the case that these 90-foot "load waterline length" multihull sailboats in this 33rd cup are fascinating reflections of the state of the art in sailing technology. Not only that, in my experience as a multihull skipper and occasional monohull crewman, the strategy and tactics of this sort of race will be radically different from that of a monohull challenge. We shall see.
Anyway, I just wanted to give y'all a heads up about the timing of the first race and the streaming video option, so that those who may be further interested in watching, live, how this all turns out, will have time to prepare.
| The Challenger USA 17 BMW Oracle Racing Golden Gate Yacht Club 113 × 90 × 223 Feet Watch Video ¤  | The Defender Alinghi 5 Team Alinghi Société Nautique de Genève 110 × 83 × 165 Feet Watch Video ¤  |
Your Reader Tips are, as always, welcome in the comments.
Vit
Hyperspeed.
Syncro
It's Boom-Time for Public Employees
The percentage of federal civil servants making more than $100,000 a year jumped from 14 percent to 19 percent during the first year and a half of the recession, according to USA Today. At the beginning of the downturn, the Transportation Department had one person making $170,000 or more a year; now it has 1,690 making that.
You mention the Bras d'Or. Last time I was in Halifax and asked about it they said it was "over there" (pointing towards some box shape on the harbour). Probably rusting away into history, what a shame.
One has to think of the bravery (or pure desperation to get away from something) of those that set off in wind-powered ships hoping to get somewhere better.
There might be dragons, but they went anyway.
What beautiful sailing ships!
the philosopher bernard moitessier was a mentor of mine...and i remember giving him dinner here back in the 80's... we agreed we didn't think much of speed for speed's sake...
i think it was alain colas(RIP)and tabarly with their 'creations' that disturbed our equanimity...
Hmmm....Death-resistant synthetic beings
Actually, the Bras D'or is at a maritime Museum about 70kms north-east of Quebec City. See the Wiki ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Bras_d'Or
Agreed, John. Survival is more interesting than speed, to me too. That's why although I never raced my two-man Tornado catamaran, I often took it out single-handed in storms ~ to test survival, not speed. And that's the funny thing about these 33rd A/C boats. If they should ever go ass over tea-kettle at those speeds, you'd be looking for body parts, not bodies.
Monohull guy myself but I have always lusted after a Tornado.
Great videos. Just at a glance I wonder what will happen to either boat in winds over 20 knots. One possibility is actual flight ;)
I thought the Alinghi looks the stronger.
And it beats watching people on their rock skis pretending it is a good idea to have a snow based event on the West Coast in an El Nino year.
There were guys playing tennis shirtless today in Oak Bay.
As I understand it, Jay, the consensus position is that lighter airs favour Alinghi 5, while heavier airs favour USA 17. So I'm hoping the wind splits the difference: much as I am drawn by the technology, I would rather see the competition decided by a battle of wits, now that the technology is said and done, than by an extreme of nature. That said, I think I probably favour Alinghi 5, because I've typically been a bit of an underdog supporter.
Love the boats, but thought I would pass along this link from the Spectator.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/spectator/thisweek/5749853/part_5/the-global-warming-guerrillas.thtml
Well worth the read.
the strategy and tactics of this sort of race will be radically different from that of a monohull challenge
Can you give a brief rundown of why this is the case?
Or a lengthy rundown, if that's what's required.
rmgk wrote: Actually, the Bras D'or is at a maritime Museum about 70kms north-east of Quebec City.
Thanks for that information. Do you have any insider details about where the last remaining CF-105 is? :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYefTcEvJ58
Just so you know what our host is talking about on a Tornado.
Closest thing to flying I've ever felt.
It has to do, Waterhouse, with angle on apparent wind, cost of tacking, and the margin by which errors, even minor, are magnified by the high speed. If one's going 12 knots and one looks away for a second, one only travels a quarter the distance one does under the same conditions while going 48 knots. Generally, one can't point as high, though some of my reading leads me to believe that these boats are pretty good. And, lastly, tacking really is a different problem, one which is more expensive on these boats. So, in general, you're not going to see the kind of close-fought tacking battles more common in monohulls, and are more likely to see a strategic approach which avoids those tactical approaches, instead replacing them with things like betting on the locally available meteorological data (do you bet the wind will be better on a long port tack, or on starboard ;-)
Also, thanks for the Tornado video link, Jay,
I hadn't seen that one before and it's excellent.
any chance this policy could be corrupted?
http://news.antiwar.com/2010/02/03/blair-us-govt-can-kill-citizens-overseas-as-part-of-defined-policy/
most of the Americas Cup will be lost in Superbowl hangover time.
I wonder if there will be any TV coverage this time around?
National Post, Friday, February 5. The Women's Studies debate is still going on. Today Jo-Ann Wallace, who is, uh, chair of said program at the University of Alberta, chimes in with an article.
She says that two news stories that appeared on Jan. 26 (same day as the NP editorial) indicate that there's more work for women's studies programs to do. She notes with disapproval a subtitle from one of them which stated, "In Afghanistan, being a woman means obeying 1,000 shifting rules."
Not a good situation, for sure. But please explain then why so many feminists and leftists (e.g., the NDP) would have the western coalition pull out of Afghanistan and leave these unfortunate women to the tender mercies of the brutal Taliban? Does "women's studies" impair your ability to think straight?
Wallace says a Global Gender Gap Index study from the World Economic Forum says that in one-third of countries, including Canada, the gap is worsening. Canada stands 38th in education of women.
So where does Canada stand on education of men? So that we can get a proper comparison. Aren't there plenty of women in university courses these days?
Wallace: "We need scholars, researchers, teachers and students who examine systemic inequities ..."
Has anyone ever given a proper definition of "systemic" in this context? Marx claimed that capitalism exploits people by definition; some lunatic fringe feminists claim that all sex is rape, by definition. Similarly, "systemic" racism etc. is another way of claiming something exists by definition, meaning no one has to think about it or analyze it further. And whenever someone points out possible reasons for the alleged wage gap between the sexes - that women as a whole take more time to raise the kids, or they aren't as competitive or ambitious as men, or whatever - they get shouted down by feminists who have already made up their minds about alleged "systemic" discrimination and won't consider any contrary evidence.
Wallace: "Women's studies programs are premised on the assumption that the way things are isn't good enough for [men, women, and] individuals who find their identities between categories."
People are individuals first, long before they identify with some "category".
Wallace: "... we are all touched by the question of women, the question of gender, the question of social justice and how best to achieve it."
This unwittingly exposes the sham. "Social justice" is an anti-concept; justice involves the consequences of individual actions. What the advocates really want is a permanent redistribution of wealth, i.e., robbing Peter to pay Paul. But that is a divisive proposition that will ultimately wreck a country.
There is surely a place for studying women as a part of sociology, anthropology, psychology, or other disciplines. But if the purpose of "women's studies" is to indoctrinate students in phony notions like "social justice", then it's time to dispense with it.
An actual WMD, found in Baghdad
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1248567/Iraq--Missile-discovered-Baghdad-s-Abu-Ghraib-suburb.html
not reported on CBCpravda or CTVtass
National Post, Friday, Feb. 5.
Boston, Massachusetts: A 57-year-old woman, an illegal immigrant from Kenya who ignored a deportation order in 2004, is pleading in court for the second time to be permitted to stay in the United States.
The woman is the aunt of Barack Obama, a half-sister of the president's father!
the Russian entry into the Americans cup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSYmSnpQ360&feature=related
Globe and Mail, Friday, February 5. Rick Salutin.
"Deficit hysteria bogeyman". The H1N1 of the economy.
The difference he conveniently fails to notice is that deficits are generally opposed by those on the right, whereas the alleged flu outbreak was a scary tale pushed mostly by leftists like himself, to bring on more government spending for its own sake.
BC has a silent and mostly hidden TAX raising Scheme.
Paying for BC Olympics comes under the cloak of recycling.
When I bought a printer from Staples there was an added SIX dollar charge for recycling.
There is no incentive to return the printer for a two dollar refund, yet beer cans and pop bottles DO give a return.
BC government says.. To producers and consumers,
‘’
9 How do I fund the program?
Stewardship program funding is the responsibility of the producer. The MOE’s principle is that product management costs are borne by producers and consumers, not local governments or the general taxpayer. ‘’
HELLO? The consumer IS the general taxpayer.
The new shopping list of electronics as filled out December 2009
Televisions
Computers
Computer monitors, keyboards, mice and other peripherals
Printers
IT and telecommunications equipment
Audio-visual and Consumer equipment
Thermostats
Batteries used in Phase 2 products
Small appliances
Smoke detectors
Batteries used in Phase 3 products
Large appliances
Electrical and electronic tools
Medical devices
Automatic dispensers
Lighting equipment
Toys, leisure and sports equipment
Monitoring and control instruments
Batteries used in Phase 4 products
============================== this is just the electronics….more groups..
http://tinyurl.com/yjc93m7
Recycling… A Government Gold Mine. TG
What do you get when you put 300 climate change scientists on a ship.
Sound the Alarms the Ice is melting the Ice is melting!
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Environment/2010/02/05/12762921-cp.html
All this science nonsense is clearly explained here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXJKdh1KZ0w
It's sciency-like, so must be right.
Personally, Cal2, I prefer this version of the Ekranoplan story ;-)
Flipping through some stories about that waste of tax dollars about to start in Vancouver and ran across this little gem about our favourite pressure group, PETA.
Seems they have an olympic pin depicting the rings bleeding and the mascot clubbing a baby seal. Awwwww.
The writer of the article had this to say,
"We all agree that Canadian seal clubbing is terrible"
It would seem that the majority of the commenters disagree with him.
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Remarkable-Swag-PETA-s-Olympic-pin?urn=oly,217183
Kate:
I would never have believed this, except I checked it out at at least five different sources.
The State Department didn't revoke the visa of foiled terrorism suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab because federal counterterrorism officials had begged off revocation, a top State Department official revealed Wednesday.
http://detnews.com/article/20100127/NATION/1270405/Terror-suspect-kept-visa-to-avoid-tipping-off-larger-investigation
Ignatieff has opened a can of worms he may regret
Ignatieff's Abortion plan 'Pathetic':Bishop
National Post Feb.06/2010
"Calgary Bishop Fred Henry yesterday called Mr.Ignatieff's proposal "pathetic" while on Thursday Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto labeled the Liberal Leaders position on abortion and the developing world "Sad"....
more....
O'zymandias:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" ; Nothing beside remains." (Shelley)
...-
"Obama statue in Jakarta will be removed after protests on internet
A statue of the young Barack Obama, intended to commemorate the time he lived in Indonesia as a boy, is to be removed from a park in Jakarta after a campaign of protest on the internet.
The decision to remove the “Barry Dream Statue”, which depicts a 10-year-old Obama Jr smiling as a butterfly alights on his left thumb, is an embarrassment to both governments, coming as it does just over a month before the president’s first official visit to Indonesia.
The Jakarta governor’s office confirmed that the 6ft-tall bronze sculpture will be moved from Menteng Park in the centre of the city to a nearby primary school that the future president attended in the late 1960s.
The bronze Obama is depicted carrying the Nobel peace prize around his neck; on the statue’s plinth is a quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt: “The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams.” Opponents of the statue argued that its place should be reserved for Indonesian heroes, or at least for leaders who have done more than Mr Obama to prove themselves worthy of a place in history."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7017296.ece
hunting in a National Park?
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100205/national_park_100206/20100206?hub=TopStoriesV2
Sailing is one of those pursuits that can span such a huge variety of modality and yet give pleasure to all those who participate. Whether you put a sail on a canoe, build or buy a floating RV to cruise the local waters,design or crew on a piece of leading edge technology to be the fastest, Harnessing the wind to move you is a thrill that doesn't get old.
From the home of the Bluenose, thanks for the video links.
Vito...all that is academic now as i have gone over to the dark side...just launched a 'motor' boat with a 'diesel' engine and a steadying 'sail' forward....as i am terrified of drowning i quite literally took a page from ice breaker design when working out the bow sections....as for watertight bulkheads and the like?...how many do you want??.....i must say it's been an amusingly simple chore fitting out when weight is of NO concern whatsoever...
[In engineering, form follows function. ~ Vitruvius]
vito....furthermore i agree with the wonderful designer fenwick williams who spoke of multi-hulls thusly...
'there is something amiss about a boat design that attains it's maximum stability when upside down'....
[My Condolences for your Spiritual Loss ~ Vitruvius]
PiperPaul asked: "Do you have any insider details about where the last remaining CF-105 is? :)"
Yes!
(though retired, still bound by OfficialSecrets Act!) :)
Omar Khadr wants $10 MILLLION in damages.
Oh, did I see this one coming....
Kate: I think it is time to bring up some of those "lovely" family photos of our "beloved" Omar displaying severed hands and feet. It is my opinion, that even a jail cell in the USA is too good for him!
http://tinyurl.com/yft33bb
This is a link to a G&M story about merit pay for (good) teachers. As a teacher myself, I have received (largely deservedly so) ribbing for what we do versus how we are compensated. I'd prefere a more free market approach that helped to weed out the bad and reward the good. I found the comments especially interesting, given that this is the G&M.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/should-canada-offer-merit-pay-to-teachers/article1458317/
I would never have believed this, except I checked it out at at least five different sources.
The State Department didn't revoke the visa of foiled terrorism suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab because federal counterterrorism officials had begged off revocation, a top State Department official revealed Wednesday.
- KevinB
This is perfectly consistent with State thinking. Did you hear about their DIVERSITY VISAs including fast-track visas to listed terror-supporing states? No? Have you heard that ALL BUT ONE of the listed Hamas persons have been removed from the terrorist lists in order to speed up financial support for the genocidaires. While Hamas and subsidiary orgs are listen, removing all these persons means much easier money transfers. And, you do know that the US funded and trained the good terrorists Fatah?
It's also possible that the CIA may have arragned to allow his easy entry in order to track his activities in the US.
Andrew Breitbart at National Tea Party Convention to Media: “It’s Not Your Business Model That Sucks, It’s You That Sucks”
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/02/andrew-breitbart-at-national-tea-party-convention-to-media-its-not-your-business-model-that-sucks-its-you-that-sucks-video/
No multi-challenger format? Powered winches and movable ballast? Bah! Maybe these "sailing vessels" also should have giant auxiliary fans to fill the sails in light winds. The 2010 America's Cup is almost as big a joke as 1988.
Go back to the 12-meter class.
And while I have nothing against the Swiss, somehow having a landlocked country in possession of The Old Mug just seems so wrong.
[Agreed, Ramon, they are beautiful boats and the races should be
delightful. We are indeed fortunate that the old monohull snobs
cannot completely prevent the advances of mankind. ~ Vitruvius]
Starbucks are ok with open carry.
more images of the now accelerating (no pun intended) decline of detroit:
3w.life.com/image/ugc1029432/in-gallery/36682/detroit-still-life
Weather and technical matters permitting, the first flight of the Boeing 747-8 Freighter is scheduled for Monday, 8 February 2010 at 10 a.m. PST. Until that webcast, enjoy the design highlights, "First Flight -- Delivering on the Plan" video, and so on.
Hmm, 02:00, 11:00, I think I'd better book the whole Monday off, then ;-)
Another cut to the Arts by: Break a leg.
...-
"The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 461".
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/theatre/story/2010/02/06/shaw-festival-dispute.html#ixzz0enCgmxaE
is Jack going out of the country *again* for medical treatments?
3w.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/02/05/jack-layton.html
Somehow, even if Smiling Jack opts for Canadian cancer care, I doubt if his wait time will be that of the average Joe Sixpack.
Speaking with some authority, I can tell you that the big difference between a typical prostate treatment here and in the US is the wait time.
btw CG, what was the last *again* you were referring to?
Vit:
Yes. We. Can.
[Excellent. I like 'em all. ~ Vitruvius]